Old Memories, New Secrets
by exxdeeee
Summary: After both Lyoko and her father's end, Aelita's memories are beginning to fade away. But, when she begins to piece them together, what secrets will she uncover? Most importantly, what could happen to her friendships? Couples: JxA, slight UxY & OxOC
1. Curiosity

Author's note: This story takes place a little while after "Echoes". It's my first fanfiction, but not my first iece of writing. I really hope you enjoy it!

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**Chapter 1: Curiosity**

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a while since the Supercomputer and Lyoko have been shut down, and since Daddy...died, and I've been feeling like my memories have been fading away. My past life seems so remote, and it's scaring me. I've been going to the Hermitage more, and hopefully, it will give me some answers. _

_Sincerely, Aelita_

The miniature, pink book was concealed under the pillow, and Aelita flopped onto the bed to think about what she had written. Her memories had been vanishing. She could barely rememberany of her past life besides her father. She was glad she had her friends now, but didn't want to forget about her earlier ones. It really hurt her that she could barely remember her own mother's face.

She was very quiet that day at breakfast. Jeremy was reading, Yumi had gotten to school early to finish up her homework (but, got no help from Jeremy), Odd was telling Ulrich about how there was some new girl coming to school in a little while, and Ulrich wasn't even listening. He was already too busy staring at Yumi. Jeremy now noticed Aelita's presence.

"Hey Aelita, where were you after class yesterday?" He inquired

"Me? Oh, I…I was just…reading, reading in my room!" She stuttered in reply.

"Uh-huh...are you okay?"

"Okay? What do you mean?"

"You haven't been yourself lately."

"I haven't?"

"You've been…quieter, and spending a lot more time in you're room. I know I did that, but you haven't. I'm a little worried.

"I'm alright, you don't have to worry. I don't have much to say or do without Lyoko, that's all."

"If there's something wrong, you can always tell me."

"I know, thanks."

Aelita looked over at her other friends. Odd was still talking about that same new girl, Ulrich was still staring at Yumi, and Yumi was still stuck on her homework. She laughed. Her friends weren't exactly quick to stop what they're doing.

* * *

Sunday soon arrived, Aelita decided to go to the Hermitage. She needed to piece together her memories. That house had given her so many answers; it was all she could think of to help her now.

The aged house just sat there, as it has for 9-10 years unaccompanied, undisturbed in the woods. She opened the door, and an assortment of paper, cobwebs, and the occasional spider was swept away in a blast of wind from the world outside. Her footsteps echoed with what sounded like thunder in the vacant halls. _I'd better start in my room._

She climbed the creaking stairs to the second floor. The dust got all over the place, and she was surprised that she didn't choke on it. Once she arrived in her room, she swept her gaze all around. Nothing seemed too different to her, until she looked under her bed. Something shined with a blinding silver light. It was a spectacular silver chest.

She tried to open it, but got no such luck. _Of course, I get close to what I've been looking for and can't even open it! _She stopped to think. _Where would I hide a key? _She exhausted the next half hour attempting to solve this mystery, but got no such luck. She was so close!

Anger boiled up inside her. _This stupid house! I can never find anything out! It's so typical; I get so close and then yanked away at the last moment! _Her anger spilled over into tears. All she thought was true. She calmed down a bit, and then went downstairs.

Her old piano sat in the living room, with a songbook open on it. She took a seat and played what she could. When she tried to hit one note, it made a bizarre sound. _Must need to be tuned._ She pried the top open and saw what had really caused the foul note. A silver key with tape on it. _I must've taped it to the inside of the piano and it fell off. _

She grabbed it and ran back to the school to finally see if this box could solve anything.


	2. Dreams and Introductions

Authors Note: Sorry it took so long, I have a lot going on. I wanted to make it really good, so things really take off in this chapter. I also used a lot of dialogue. It seems long, but it really isn't. Remember that new girl, though!

I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for the great reviews!

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She placed the key into the lock of that mysterious chest and turned it. The lock clicked and the lid sprang open. _Finally something works around here! _She glanced inside the box. _Pictures?_Aelita examined the pictures held within.

In the first picture, there was a much younger looking Hermitage. In front of it were Franz Hopper and a very little Aelita. Although she was smiling for he picture you could tell she was scared. This must've been the day I moved to the Hermitage with Daddy! Noting this, she took out the next picture.

It must have been the same day, for Aelita was wearing the same clothes. The only things that differed was that Franz was not in the picture, and there was someone else in the shot. A girl, seemingly Aelita's age, stood grinning. She wore a short jean skirt and a black t-shirt with a heart on it. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. _Who is this girl? She seems slightly familiar…_

The photograph that followed must have been taken years after. Aelita guessed she was nine or ten at the time. She was in the middle, and on her right was supposedly the same girl. She was much older now though. Her hair was longer, but still in a ponytail. She had a black t-shirt on also, but this one had a white guitar on it instead of a heart. She wore blue jeans and green flip-flops. On her left was someone new. A boy, slightly taller than Aelita, who had brown hair with blondehighlights, stood grinning a little. He wore a white shirt and an olive green jacket over it. He too wore jeans, and black sneakers. _Another mystery character? _

Aelita stopped for a moment. Something about their faces, particularly the boy's just seemed to ring a bell. She didn't remember his name or anything else about him, but she knew him. He was important to her, but she didn't know why.

Putting the Idea aside, she quickly looked through the rest of the pictures in the box. They were just random pictures, some of nature, some of random times with the two people in the pictures. Aelita couldn't remember anything, but she felt a few tears roll down her face. Partly because she wishes she remembered these times, and partly because the pictures of her so happy touched her.

That night, her dream was incredible. She could tell it really happened, and wasn't a dream.

_Aelita stood in front of the Hermitage, as if she was waiting for something. She had an eager expression on her face, but stood as if she's been waiting for hours. Suddenly, the girl with black hair from the pictures jumped out of the bushes, badly startling Aelita. The girl burst out laughing._

"_Oh, very funny. You sure took long enough to get here!" Aelita yelled at her friend, slightly annoyed. _

"_Well, Kadic is pretty far from your house!" her friend replied, defensively._

"_You're an hour late!"_

"_I might've gotten…detention…"_

"_Again!? What did you do??"_

"_It was an accident! The baseball wasn't supposed to hit that teacher's head!"_

"_Katie!"_

"_I didn't give myself detention! It was all the principals fault!"_

"_That's what you said the first time you did it. Who did you hit, anyway?" _

"_Uhh…"_

"_I think this is yours, Katelyn." Franz Hopper said, handing her a slightly damaged baseball._

That morning, Aelita woke up with new information; the girls name was Katie, and she wasn't exactly best at staying out of trouble. She smiled, now remembering a bit more than yesterday. Her memories were beginning to get pieced together, and that made the day brighter, and she herself was cheerful.

After classes that day, the gang all gathered at the vending machine.

"I don't believe it!" Odd said, with a depressed look on his face.

"What, new girl reject you?" Ulrich snickered.

"Shut up! The new girl didn't even show!"

"I'll alert the media."

"I was looking forward to her coming! She's Italian!"

"Relax, she'll come. Unless, she heard about you, that is."

"Knock it off you two!" Yumi jumped in before this turned into a fistfight.

"Her flight might've been delayed, Italy is pretty far off." Aelita suggested.

"Oh, I'd better face it, she's not coming! I'll be lonely forever!" Odd complained with a dramatic tone.

"Unless that's her over there, the one carrying suitcases with Italian flags on them." Ulrich stated.

"It is!" Odd cheered, and ran off to introduce himself.

"Well, looks like we'll have some peace during the 3-days his romance will last." Jeremy said, laughter from the whole gang following.

That night, Aelita had yet another of those realistic dreams. This one much different than the last.

_Aelita stood with the strange boy from the pictures a few yard away from the school. There were lights flashing in different colors through the window of the gym. _

"_You could've gone to the dance, John." Aelita told him._

"_I couldn't find a date." he replied._

"_You didn't look to hard, did you?"_

"_No, not really."_

"_Well, you could've gone without a date."_

"_Nah. It's more fun hanging around with you anyways."_

"_Really? Katie always complains how boring I am."_

"_Katie? Little miss injury? A stuntman would seem boring to her!"_

"_After he ran away from her crazy skateboard tricks!" Aelita laughed._

"_See? You're a lot of fun!"_

"_Thanks. But, you might have a good time at the dance."_

"_Only if you come."_

"_What? But I'm not a student!"_

"_Ton's of people bring kids that aren't from Kadic."_

"_Yeah, but I can't just walk right in." _

"_Then you can go with me."_

"_As a friend?"_

"_Well, if you want. Or, you could go as my date."_

"_A...a date?"_

"_If you want. Or are you just rejecting me now?"_

"_No, I was just surprised, I guess. I didn't know you…liked me."_

"_So, you'll go?"_

"_If you don't mind going with 'the physics teacher's daughter'."_

"_Not at all."_

Aelita woke up feeling different this time. Her last dream made her happy, but now she was confused. _I liked someone? How did I not remember that?_ She thought of Jeremy, and how awkward it would be to see him again. For one thing, it would be very interesting.


	3. The Big Mistake

**Hehe, it get's real good in this chapter. Sorry if I didn't write alot, there wasn't much to write. Also, I know it took really long, but I have a lot to focus on now, so I'm sorry!**

* * *

Aelita couldn't get that guys picture out of her mind. She couldn't believe it. _He seemed so…nice. He must've really cared about me. _She found herself blushing. _No! I can't like him, I can't! _Her mind was racing as she headed to the showers.

After she was dressed, she decided ease her mind by writing the whole dream down. Typing, actually, it would be safer that way. She looked at her clock and realized she was really late. She just closed her laptop and sprinted down the stairs, leaving the file out in the open for anyone to see.

She found her friends hanging out at the vending machine. _Drat! Missed breakfast! _She sighed. _Oh well, I'll make up for it at lunch, I guess. _The gang had obviously been waiting for her.

"Look who decided to show up!" Odd shouted.

"Sorry, got a little wrapped up in something, I guess." she replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Lucky for you, I watch out for my friends" he said as he threw her a banana.

Jeremy was typing something on his laptop. Obviously he was frustrated, something wasn't working. He looked up.

"Odd, did you touch my computer?"

"Er…no…"

"Great job, all my files are screwed!"

"Really? Even the pictures of-", his sentence was interrupted by Jeremy's hand clasping his mouth shut.

" Uh…Aelita? Can I borrow your computer?" He said, now mildly blushing. Odd saw that Italian girl, apparently named Lilli, and ran off.

"Sure, it's on the desk in my room. You can just grab it, I have a test to make up now."

She hadn't remembered the open file, just sitting there. She never realized as she was watching Odd attempt to flirt with the new girl, something was happening that would really mess up her friendships. Jeremy opened the computer, and couldn't help but read it.

"John? Who is that guy?"

He read on. When he finished, he was really troubled.

"Could she still like this guy?"

He grabbed the laptop and walked downstairs, not even wanting to look at Aelita. All through science he was either looking at the board or looking down. At lunch, he was so "absorbed in his reading" he didn't glance at her. Aelita was confused, and slightly offended by this.

At the end of the day, Jeremy silently handed her laptop back to her, and she looked at that open file.

_What have I done?_


	4. Conflict and DeResolutions

**Sorry if last chapter was really short.**

** I think this is the fastest time I've uploaded. I couldn't wait to write the next chapter. I've been as anxious as you were, because I don't see what happens untill I write it. Haha, I hope you like it.**

**P.S I'll try to have the next chapter up by tomorrow, because I'm going camping on vacation.**

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Aelita Stared blankly at the screen in disbelief. _How could I have been so stupid? _She left her diary open on the screen, and then practically told Jeremy to read it. Possible solutions ran through her head, but none succeeded. _Maybe he won't care… S_he stopped right after she proccessed that thought. Even she knew how much of a lie that was.

It was about lunchtime, so she sulked her way down to the cafeteria. _Well, I have to face him sooner or later. _Arriving at the table the gang had claimed as their own, the only open seat was, of course, the one right next to Jeremy. Red-faced and feeling idiotic, she sat down. As soon as she hit the chair, Jeremy got up automatically and left her in the dust. _I don't blame him too much_.

"Did I miss something?" Odd questioned.

"It's pretty likely you did, you're always too busy flirting with that new girl. What's her name…Leah?" Ulrich answered humorously.

" Her name is Lilli!" Odd screamed back. He didn't realize exactly how loud he was, until he saw the whole cafeteria stopped what they were doing to silently stare at him. The only sounds heard were Ulrich's snickers.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Odd took a seat again. He silenced Ulrich by throwing his leftover orange at his head. Yumi ignored them as they stared a fight of random insults.

"So, what really happened?" She asked, re-stating what Odd had just said.

"I…He…I'd…He read something…something he shouldn't have. I was stupid for leaving it open." Aelita stuttered in reply.

Odd looked up from his fight.

"That's why I don't read, you never know when you'll regret knowing that information."

"Sure that's the only reason?" Ulrich retorted. This started their insult-fest all over again.

"Ignoring that, you know he only over reacts because he cares."

"Yeah, maybe I should go talk to him."

"Good idea. That might calm him down a bit."

Aelita got up, and called back as she ran away.

"Thanks guys, you're the best!"

Odd and Ulrich looked up, extremely confused.

* * *

Aelita made her way up to Jeremy's room. Ever since they left the factory, there were limited places he could be. She quietly knocked on the door.

"Come in." He called, with an air of gloom in his voice.

"Hey, It's me. Look, about what you read…"

"I didn't read anything!"

She gave him a "look".

"We both know what you read, so can we please get past that?"

"Fine. I'll admit I read it, but I don't care. It's none of my business. You can go play with your imaginary boyfriend by yourself!"

"He's not imaginary, he was a real person!"

Aelita, and also Jeremy, realized what a terrible choice of words that was. _Great way to convince him you don't like him, stupid!_

"I mean, he was real, but that was nine years ago!"

"Whatever. Just…just leave me alone, okay? Go write in your stupid diary, and why not just let it out to the press. I don't care!"

That final statement brought tears to her eyes.

"I was here to apologize, but you can forget it now!"

She ran out of the room in tears. She flopped down on her bed, clutching Mister Puck and sobbing hysterically. She was immensely mad at him. She's never actually been this upset. She's never had thoughts of revenge before this very moment.

She then thought of a very devious, but yet ingenious plan to get him back. It was almost as if she was possessed.

* * *

Jeremy went outside the next morning and sat down on the bench in the middle of the courtyard. He had is book on robotic opened to a page that was a very large numer. Just before he layed his eyes on the book, he saw Aelita, talking to that new exchange student from Spain. But, was she talking...or flirting?

"Ignore it, Jeremy" he said to himself trying to read his book. he couldn't concentrate though. Why was she flirting with that random guy?

He could hear her giggling from all the way across the courtyard. Now he was really disturbed. The guy pulled out a guitar.

"Oh great, a musician. What, can he fly?" he spoke again to himself.

He played a slow, beautiful tune and sung in Spanish. That made it sound even more romantic. After what seemed an eternity, he stopped playing and asked Aelita for her opinion. She was obviously thrilled. He then said something Jeremy couldn't make out, and they ran off to who-know's-where. Jeremy was infuriated now, and immensly jealous.

Aelita looked back, now knowing her plan was working to perfection.

**That might've been mean, but it really juices up a plot. Jere's jealous of two people now. Ugh, this will be hard to follow up...**


	5. Jealousy and Remorse

**I just wanted to quickly say something. Someone brought up that Aelita's actions with the new guy were...unlike her. That is 100 true. We all know Aelita seems like she wouldn't do something like that, which is exactly why I wrote it. I want to bring out another side of her. If they're becoming real teenagers, then this might be what's gonna happen. **

**Aelita fans, don't worry. I'm not gonna portray her as totally evil, she's not. She's got a heart, and you'll see it, so chill!**

* * *

As Aelita walked away with the new guy, a feeling of content swept over her. Jeremy was jealous, and her revenge was success full. But, just as she was enjoying her triumph, she looked back at Jeremy's deeply hurt face. The pit of her stomach swirled inside her, and a great feeling of remorse attacked every inch of her conscience. _Why did I do that? _She arrived with that new guy at the gymnasium which was currently vacant.

"So, you like my songs?" He asked in an accent that would melt the average girls heart.

"Huh? Oh...yeah. It was great. Really...pretty." She replied, obviously not paying attention.

"Thank you. I have heard from many students that you are a musician also, is that true?"

"Hmm? Uh, yeah. I guess so..."

"Then I know my songs are good."

"Your judgement shouldn't only be because of me."

"You seem to have good taste."

"Why do you say that?"

He smiled at Aelita, and sounded a light chuckle.

"I can just sense it."

Aelita grinned silently. He continued.

"You also seem to know about music, as if you'd been around it your whole life. Are your parents musicians?"

Aelita's face grew serious.

"I..I'm an orphan, actually."

"I'm so sorry." His apology was sincere.

"No, it's okay. Don't be sorry." She smiled, "There's no way you could've known...without being a total creep, that is."

Both students laughed, but were interrupted by the school bell.

"Off to class I suppose. That Mrs. Hertz scares me though." The boy announced, curving his lips to a smile.

Upon entering the science building, Aelita looked around the room for a seat. Odd was sitting with Lilli, attempting to flirt. This was obviously not working because she was completely ignoring her. _Okay, I'll just sit with Ulrich today._

Unfortunately, Ulrich was already sitting with Jeremy, obviously hiding from Sissi's annoying shouts of "Ulrich dear, come sit with me!".

The second bell rang, and Aelita was without a seat. Mrs. Hertz stepped in so there wouldn't be a disruption.

"Aelita, hurry and take a seat next to..." her gaze swept around the whole room "...our new student, Jacob.

She was referring to the new student, the one who she was using to get Jeremy jealous. When put that way, she sounded so evil. But, she had to, so she took her seat, watching Jeremy's angered expression dig into the depths of her mind. _Just sit, He'll hopefully want to make up with you by lunch after he gets jealous._She kept telling herself this, but somehow it became less and less believable.

"Hello again," He greeted warmly, "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, I'm Aelita." She quickly replied, getting out her books.

"That is a very beautiful name. Unique also."

Aelita blushed. He was awfully nice to her.

"Thank you...You're name is..." She wouldn't call it beautiful, that's for sure "...really cool too."

"Thank you very much."

For the rest of class, they chatted in between taking notes. Simple smalltalk- what bands they liked, favorite colors and foods- simple, everyday stuff like that. They had a few things in common, but not too much. Aelita found him rather easy to talk to though.

Her hopes for making up with Jeremy at lunch were a lost cause, seeing that he wasn't even there. Aelita still felt bad about what she had been doing, but decided to be persistant. It would work eventually- Jeremy wasn't the type to hold grudges.

A least, that is what she'd hoped.


	6. Going Back

**Yessss! It's done! Sorry, I suffered from MAJOR writer's block. I was totally stuck after Ulrich's little prank (it's not huge, don't worry, doesn't give anything away 3). Hope you like it **

* * *

In a time that seemed to be forever, lunch arrived and the students filed in to the Cafeteria

In a time that seemed to be forever, lunch arrived and the students filed in to the Cafeteria. Aelita's spirit was surprisingly light. The new kid, Jacob, was extremely nice and easy to talk to. But that wasn't the only thing to be happy about. She had noticed Jeremy frequently looking to the back of the class, almost directly at her seat. _Hopefully, this means he'll want to end this already!_

Unfortunately, this couldn't be so, for Jeremy wasn't even there. Her heart sank a bit as she sat down in her usual seat. She noticed Odd and Ulrich weren't there either. She decided to ask Yumi.

"Where's Ulrich?" She asked first.

"He's over by Sissi's table. I don't know what he's doing, but he did manage to bring a screwdriver." Yumi answered. Both girls laughed at the endless possibilities of what Ulrich could be doing.

"And Odd? Where'd he go?" Aelita said once the laughter had ended.

Yumi pointed south. Aelita looked to see her friend talking to a very annoyed Lilli.

"You'd think he would've realized she isn't into him by now!" she added to her finger pointing.

"He'll get the message soon enough."

"Hopefully before that girl resorts to violence!"

Yumi then noticed Aelita purposely not asking where the other gang member was. She thought for a minute, deciding whether or not to ask.. She decided it was for the best.

"So I guess it didn't go to well with Jeremy, huh?" she inquired.

Aelita didn't answer.

"What happened?"

She remained silent.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yep." she finally added. Before Yumi could add more, Ulrich rushed over to the table, laughing to himself.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"Wait for it…" He happily replied.

He pointed over to where Sissi was. She pulled out her chair, but just as she took a seat, the whole thing collapsed, and her entire tray of food fell on top of her. During roaring laughter from the whole cafeteria, Ulrich managed to say:

"Well, wasn't expecting the food spilling, but I guess it's just a bonus!"

* * *

Since every plan to make up with Jeremy had failed, Aelita decided to try a totally new idea, the same he was using...complete ignorance. She told herself she would not come in contact with him, so he would have to come to her.

Having that matter put aside, she, ironically enough, attempted to solve her old problem-her scattered memories. She once again took out her picture box she now had stashed under her bed, among scattered CD's; seemingly thousands of them.

She grabbed the box, and lifted the cool metal lid. Again, she saw more pictures than she remembered inside. She tossed the ones featuring John aside; she didn't even want to look at his face…no matter how good looking is was.

The picture she did grab was a memory she did remember-and treasure with all her heart. It was that Christmas, the one she had received Mister Puck. In it, she stood next to her mother, who was kneeling down with her arm around her little daughter. They were both smiling; obviously Franz was not there because he was the one taking the picture. Aelita was grasping Mister Puck in a way that would kill any human. But he remained with that same smile.

Seeing a memory so warm as this brought a tear to her eye, until she then surrendered to full sobs. This was partly because she loved this memory, and it was so beautiful that she was happy; and that she missed it-and her family-so much, and at that moment would've given it all to go back. She now realized that there was something she wanted more than to be friends with Jeremy. That was Lyoko.

_I now realize it was the only thing keeping my emotions in check. I now know that it was the only thing keeping me from insanity and depression. It's a part of me, and the only connections to my old life I have anymore, besides the Hermitage that is. If I didn't care about my friends trust, I would go and flip the switch again, and virtualize myself just to be there again-to be home. I want to take the risk of XANA returning, if there even is a risk. But I know I cant. I just wish everyone else knew how I am feeling…_

She looked at the page on the screen, and felt tears down her face. Missing Lyoko had just added to her misery. This, of course, made her think of Jeremy, and how terrible she'd been to him. It felt like her life was just falling apart, and she was losing so much. Intentionally or not, Lyoko was the cause. She set her password, and sat on her bed again, clutching Mister Puck just as she had in the picture.


	7. Going Downhill Fast

**Hello people! Sorry it took so long, writer's block (0.o). Anyways, just hoping you like it!**

Sitting there, thoughts flowed into her head at an alarming and dizzying rate. She had her own mental arguments about what she should do next. _Do I ask to turn it on? No, the whole gang has to agree, and Jeremy will automatically say no. Do I turn it on secretly? No, I'd get shunned and hated by everyone id they ever found out. Do I not turn it on at all? No, I'll go mad! _She was mildly disturbed at the fact that she was arguing with herself…and losing.

To get away from her strange mental problems, she decided to go to the Hermitage. Even she questioned her own logic as she walked through the school gates and into the forest. The old house was such a comfort to her now, she ran up and into it, feeling like she's found an old friend.

As the door flung open, papers and dust scattered about as usual. She pondered how the papers seem to find their way back to the doorway as she walked to the study. She wasn't looking for anything specific; anything to keep her busy would be fine.

She smiled for the fist time in a while looking around these familiar halls. Every time she shifted her eyes, a new memory came to her. Birthdays, piano lessons, and the time Katie dented the wall. She felt so close to her past life, almost as if she's gone back in time. She didn't want to leave. She could just stay there forever, living in her past, she wouldn't mind at all.

But, she was a part of reality, so decided to break free form her memories and see if there was anything more interesting than that spider in the corner. Suddenly, a beautiful song rang through her ears. _What is that? Who would want to come out here? _She soon recognized the sound as an acoustic guitar. She ran outside to see if it was who she thought it was.

She peered up through a bush and was surprised to see that it was Jacob after all. Just the person she didn't want to see. Aelita knew she had to leave, she couldn't risk being seen. The song was beautiful and seemingly hypnotic, she just couldn't bring herself to get up. Finally, the last note was played and he looked up. She darted away as fast as possible, but was sure he got a glimpse of her practically neon pink hair.

The aria she had heard before was now stuck in her head. That Monday when class started, she didn't realize she was humming it. The teacher hadn't shown up yet, so Jacob slid into the empty seat next to Aelita.

"So, you like it then?" He asked with a smile on his face.

Aelita was startled; she hadn't seen him sit down. She turned to him.

"Liked what?"

"My song. You were humming it."

"Oh, I was?"

"Yes, so you did like it. I'm glad you weren't lying before."

"You thought I was lying?"

"I wasn't sure. You don't seem like the type of girl who lies."

"You…you'd be surprised, actually."

He laughed. Aelita decided to take a quick look to the back of the room. Odd was asleep, Ulrich was cramming for a possible pop quiz, and Sissi was staring right at her, just eating this up. Jeremy, on the other hand was also staring right at her. Not like Sissi, proud to have some new gossip, no he was…furious. Not upset, not mad, furious. A part of her was satisfied that she'd really hit home with this revenge thing, but another part of her felt sorry for Jeremy and hated how he was hurt.

The part of her that felt sad soon dominated, and her face fell into a depressed look. Jacob was confused, but could tell he wasn't wanted there. He took his books and sat by Lilli, who was glad to sit with someone other than Odd.

A tugging sensation hit Aelita's heart. Jeremy was mad, and if Jacob liked her then that's two people she'd end up hurting. What was going on? Her life wasn't perfect, but she'd never had problems like this.

The math teacher came in and began the lesson, but Aelita wasn't listening. Her constant thoughts and arguments were driving her crazy. She managed to get through Math and double science that day, which was miraculous considering how terrible she felt.

The minute school was over, she grabbed her books and ran for the factory. She didn't care what her friends would think, she wouldn't tell them. She had to do this.

She reached the supercomputer room. She took the switch in her hand, and switched it on.

* * *

**Dun Dun DUUUUn! XD**


	8. Trouble in a Flash

At the moment the supercomputer turned on, she had mixed feelings

The familiar white flash seemed to smack her right in the face, pushing her down. The whole factory seemed to some to life again. She stood up and brushed off her dress, due to the factory not being the cleanest around. She walked off into the elevator, with a feeling of remorse hanging in the air around her. She _had_ betrayed her friends, and possibly even her father.

No, it couldn't be that terrible, her father was dead and her friends weren't exactly making her feel better at the moment. Lyoko was her only choice, besides insanity, but she didn't exactly want to resort to that. The elevator stopped.

She hopped up into the chair, ice cold from no use in a few months. She started the self-virtualization and scurried down to the scanner. It closed around her, making her slightly claustrophobic but still happy. The wind started up, lightly and slowly until that strong gale swept her away from reality. A squeezing sensation came to be and she knew she was being virtualized.

The next thing she knew, she was in the air. Unfortunately, she forgot about the ten-foot drop that followed virtualization. She stood up, her pride slightly bruised, and took a good look around. She smiled, happy to be back in the forest again. She looked down at how she looked, and remembered the first time she wore it. _Jeremy made it for me…_she thought, smiling. She snapped from her daydream and kept on walking. What seemed to be millions of battle scenes between the warriors and XANA played over and over in her mind, right down to the constant shouts from that little nerd with a mic.

She decided to look for the tower. She moved her hand over her star bracelet and two beautiful angel wings sprouted from her back. After a minute or two getting used to them, she floated all around looking for the tower. She didn't exactly know why, either, except that she only wanted to be there.

Upon arrival, she did as she had done before; walked to the center of the Eye of XANA, then gracefully floating to the top. The interface appeared out of nowhere, startling Aelita. _Guess I gotta get used to forgetting the laws of physics again…_ she thought with a slight chuckle. She checked everything on her interface, random statistics and such, to remember everything. She was glad it still made sense to her.

She decided to check the security cameras next. She could see the Hermitage, The elevator and the Factory. She stopped, and then looked again at the factory. Someone was there. It was so pixilated she wasn't entirely sure, but there was a figure, seemingly male, walking around, and it was all too suspicious. He sat at the chair, and of all people, it had to be Mr. Jeremy Belpois. _Of all the times it could've been a government agent, why not now? _

Panicking, she frantically searched her mind for a solution; or at the very least, an actual excuse for being there. She thought, and then looked at the interface. _Of course! _She messed up a few connections, re-wired some stuff, and she had created here own bug. She could tell it was working, Jeremy was all confused, and by what she could lip-read wondering why the screen was fuzzy. She caught something about tools in his room, and he left. She waited until he was gone and frantically de-virtualized herself.

She darted from the factory in a desperate attempt to get to the school before Jeremy. She couldn't ever let him know she had turned on the super computer again, no way! That would ruin her entire life. She entered the school gates, and froze. Odd, Ulrich and Jeremy were coming right towards her! She changed her pose, acting like she'd been there all along.

"Bad news." Ulrich stated monotonically.

"Such as?" Replied Aelita.

"Well, what if we told you someone has been coming to the factory?" Odd shouted, changing the mood.

"R…really? W-who?"

Both boys shrugged.

"We'd better get Yumi, she should know too." Ulrich suggested.

"Can't go three hours without seeing her, can you Romeo?" Odd teased.

"Odd, I swear Ill-"

"Knock it off, this is no time for stupid fights." Jeremy interrupted, leaning slightly towards Aelita, as if he were trying to tell her something.

They left towards Yumi's house, but Aelita went a little bit slower. She knew that this wouldn't end well.

_They're going to find out, and they're going to hate me. _

* * *

**Hey there! last time you'll hear from me-just appologizing for teh wait. D:**

**I'll upload ch 9 at the same time to make up for this!!**


	9. Hysterics

"What!?" Yumi screamed, her lower jaw falling to the floor.

"Yup, someone went to the factory." Ulrich reminded.

"Are you _positive_ someone was there? That it didn't just look like it?"

"Yumi, the supercomputer was on." Jeremy said in a scary, grave tone. Aelita shuddered.

"Well why are we standing around? Let's go!"

Four teenagers ran off in a frenzy. One little pink-haired girl remained behind, thinking of the mess she made. She sighed, and jogged off to catch up to them.

In the factory, everyone hovered over Jeremy, looking concerned and pretending they knew what was going on. The glare from his glasses made Aelita's eyes hurt. She slowly walked away from the computer and acted uninterested to hide her anxiousness.

Odd finally spoke after what seemed like forever:

"What does all this mean anyway, Einstein?"

Jeremy was silent. Aelita figured he was just too busy to notice Odd talking.

"Drop it, Odd, he's busy. Wait 'till he wakes up, he'll tell us." Ulrich answered.

"Do you have any idea about this, princess?" Odd tried again, ignoring Ulrich.

"Nope." She replied, not even looking up.

Another eternity passed in silence, and everyone jumped when Jeremy finally spoke.

"Someone sent a bug to the supercomputer…" he began.

"Who?" Odd asked innocently.

"I don't know. But the bug… it was sent from…Lyoko."

Aelita's eyes widened in terror.

"_From_ Lyoko? How is that possible? Who would do that?" Yumi interrogated.

"I don't know, but someone went to Lyoko. It had to be someone important, to know how to operate It." he sighed, "This could be really dangerous," he turned to look at Aelita, "for all of us."

The whole group began to discuss something, but Aelita couldn't hear. She was too engulfed by her thoughts that reality began to slip away. She knew she would be busted, and she was terrified. Her heart was beating so fast that she though she was going to have an attack. She started sweating, as she though of the outcomes. If her friends found out, that was it. She didn't know anyone else on Earth. She was done for.

"Aelita! What's the matter?" Odd screamed in terror.

"What's wrong? You look so…pale!" Yumi added in a worried tone.

"I think she's hyperventilating! We'd better get her home." Ulrich joined in.

She wanted to say something like, _"I'm okay!" _or _"Nothing to worry about!"_ but she couldn't talk. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. She was having hysterics. That, or just going insane. At this point, both were highly probable.

Yumi put her hands on Aelita's shoulders and led her out. Odd and Ulrich were on either side of her, trying desperately to calm her down. Jeremy followed behind all of them, silent but worried.

The cold night air made her shiver worse. It didn't help that it looked like rain, or that the wind was picking up. Finally they made it back to the warm dorm rooms. Yumi brought Aelita to her room so the boys wouldn't get into any trouble. She sat her on the bed.

"Aelita, are you okay?" She asked.

"N-n-no…I-I-I'm n-not s-s-sure." She tried to say between fits of shivers.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I d-don't know." Her voice was slowly becoming more stable.

"Want me to get the nurse?"

"N-no. I'm okay."

Yumi gave her a look.

"Really!" She pleaded.

"I'm glad you _think_ that. But what's really wrong? Don't give me any nonsense, I can tell what's a lie and what isn't."

Aelita looked away. Yumi's face grew serious, as did her voice.

"Aelita! Tell me what's wrong! Don't you trust me?" She screamed, making Aelita jump.

"Yes I trust you!" She shouted back to quick. Now what was she going to do?

"So what is it?"

"I'm just…scared."

"Oh, I see what's wrong."

"Y-you do?"

"Don't worry, Aelita. Whoever broke into the lab won't hurt you. It'll all be okay."

Aelita sighed, half of relief and half of frustration. She looked down, and Yumi continued;

"Everything will work out, like always."

"I hope so Yumi."

Yumi said some sort of goodbye, and Aelita just waved back. She was all-alone in that small room-confused and claustrophobic.

As childish as I seemed, right then all she wanted was her father. He always knew what to do, what to say, and he was always so strong. She felt safe near him. She was sobbing hysterically, realizing what she had lost. It was different now-she always had her friends to get her through everything-but she couldn't speak a word of all this.

_Who knew memories a decade old, could cause this much trouble in modern times?_


	10. Needle in a Haystack

"She said she was just scared," Yumi began in the cafeteria that morning, "I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Sure? She looked horrible last night." Odd commented.

"Yeah, I'm sure. She's the type who can go through a lot."

"Maybe she was finally put through _too much_." Jeremy commented, surprisingly enough.

"What do you mean by that?" Ulrich asked.

"I _mean_, she might've been through more than we know. More than she told us."

"You mean she's keeping secrets…from _us_?" Yumi asked, shocked.

"I think. I found some of Hopper's personal files a few months ago, but Aelita didn't want to open them. Doesn't that sound…suspicious?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But…why do you care all of the sudden?"

Jeremy looked oddly surprised.

"All of the sudden? You think I don't care?"

"Looks that way, Einstein." Odd answered.

Ulrich and Yumi nodded.

He looked down, and a very uncomfortable silence followed. In the silence, they heard to girls chattering loudly.

"Did you hear Aelita Stones last night? She was crying so loud I got no sleep at all." A blonde girl asked.

"I know! What could be wrong? I've heard screams from her nightmare's once or twice, but something terrible must be going on!" a brunette added.

The gang all looked up, than at each other. All wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

The bell rang. Ulrich and Odd were the first to get up for math. Yumi got up to leave, and then said:

"You'd better fix this…today!"

* * *

In math, Jeremy was a minute or two late. Mrs. Meyer had yet to arrive, so he was safe this time. He took his regular seat in the front and watched the door for the one person he was finally going to talk to. After five or so minutes, the Teacher arrived and began to take roll call.

Jeremy was barely listening when it came to him. He listened closely to the names:

"Ulrich Stern?" She called.

"Here..." he replied, uninterested.

"Aelita Stones?"

No one answered.

"Aelita Stones? Is she here?"

"Um, I think I saw her in the infirmary today. She seemed sick earlier too." The same blonde from this morning called.

Jeremy, Odd and Ulrich's faces grew worried. What was going on?

In the infirmary, Aelita sat back in the bed pretending to be sick. _Mostly_ pretending, that is. She didn't feel well enough to go to class today, even if she was physically well. Thank goodness it was Saturday, and only half the day was spent in class. She curled up on the bed and waited, letting her mind wander.

A little bit after the bell rang, Aelita said she was well enough to go to her room. The nurse looked suspicious but let her go anyway. She ran off to her room. Her _real_ room; all the way at the Hermitage.

As she sulked, the rest of the gang did a little research on the supercomputer, about Aelita Schaeffer.

"Anything at _all_? We've been here _forever_!!" Odd complained.

"You know Franz, trying to hack his personal files is like finding a needle in a haystack… if not, harder." Jeremy answered back. Odd groaned and leaned back against the wall.

It took a while, but just before Odd was about to win "Rock Papar Scissors" against Ulrich, Jeremy shouted:

"Got it!"

"Really? You hacked Franz Hopper?" Yumi asked, slightly shocked.

"Yeah. and it wasn't easy at all. I don't even get the password."

"What was is?" Ulrich said, even though no one was sure he was listening.

"'Antea'. Sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on it…"

"So, what's there?" Yumi said with anxiousness in her voice.

"Look like, pictures, a few videos, records, stuff like that."

They all leaned in to gaze upon the pictures of a life they knew next to nothing about; Aelita's.


	11. Learning

The first graphic they saw was a young, beautiful, woman in her late twenties

The first graphic they saw was a young, beautiful, woman in her late twenties. In her arms was a little girl, no older than one or two years old. They had to be related, because they both had the same exact shade of bubblegum pink hair.

"I can guess who _that_ is…" Ulrich said with a chuckle.

"Look how little she is there! How cute!" Yumi added.

"But who's that woman in the back?" Odd asked.

"It's her mom, dork. Can't you see the resemblance?" Yumi answered.

"Antea." Jeremy stated simply.

"What?" The whole gang chimed.

"Antea, that's the woman in the picture! That's Aelita's mom, the password! Antea Hopper!"

"Whoa." Odd said.

"I wonder what happened to her? Aelita only mentioned her once, as if her mom wasn't there for a while." Yumi said.

"You're right, see this video?" Jeremy said, pointing to a file, " It's a security camera. Antea isn't in any pictures after it. She was gone."

"Let's see it!" Odd shouted, excited.

The little four-year-old was playing in the snow, innocent as ever. Her parents watched her play and laugh a few yards away on the lawn of their mountainous home. Then, the father went inside, probably to do some work. The little girl looked up, and that's when it all began. Before anyone could blink, two men in black suits snatched the mother. The little girl dashed after their car, running off screen. A few minutes later, the father came back outside to see his wife and daughter gone. He ran after the tire tracks. He returned with his daughter-in tears-but his wife was nowhere to be seen. The screen went black.

The gang stared at the screen, each facing horror in their own way. Odd wiped away moisture in his eye. Tears were flowing down Yumi's face in little hysteric streams. Ulrich's eyes were wide and horror struck. Jeremy was motionless.

Surprisingly, Yumi was the first to speak:

"It all makes sense now. The nightmares, being so secretive- all because of this. How awful!"

"Yeah, who would've guessed her mom got…_kidnapped_. I mean, how old is she there? Four, five _maybe_?" Odd said, disgusted.

"I feel like such a…a _jerk_!" Jeremy shouted.

"How do _you_feel like a jerk? Not like it's your fault." Yumi asked.

"Because, she already had problems, and now I think I've made them worse. You saw her in hysterics not too long ago."

"Well, maybe it's not too late to fix things." Yumi said, smiling hopefully.

"I don't think so…unless she still hates me."

"She's not the type to hold grudges, I think you'll be okay." Odd added, remembering the fight they had a long time ago.

"I guess…you're right." Jeremy said as he got up. He grabbed his laptop bag and headed for the elevator.

"Good luck, Einstein!" They all chirped as he left.

* * *

He arrived at her room pretty quick. He was glad dinner hadn't started yet, because it'd be really hard to do this with an audience. He brought his fist up to the door, but couldn't bring himself to knock. _Why was this so hard? Its just Aelita! _As much as he told himself that, he still felt nervous and scared. He gathered up his strength and knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Nothing.

"A…Aelita? You there? It's me, Jeremy!" He called while continuously knocking.

Not a peep.

The door was unlocked, so he pushed open-slightly-hoping he wouldn't regret it.

He was half relieved to see the room empty. He took a look around- the computer was off, the bed wasn't made, and there was a box in the middle of the room.

He inspected the box, to see tons of pictures, ranging from Aelita's early childhood to slightly recently.

"But where is she…?" He said aloud. A minute later, he realized the answer was so obvious that he felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner.

He ran off to the Hermitage to see if there was some way to bring her back from the brink of insanity.


	12. Who's at Fault?

Jeremy stopped at the entrance gate to The Hermitage, gasping and outta breath. _Darn it, why do I have to cut Phys Ed every day? _His breath finally caught up with him, so he quietly came to the house making sure she wouldn't see him from her window.

The door creaked as it opened, really slowly. He was surprised Aelita didn't hear hear him and bolt. He realized this was more of a physical challenge than he thought. The floor was covered in debris and old possessions of the Hopper family. As if that wasn't hard enough, he had to tiptoe to escape detection of Aelita.

He creeped up the stairs, holding his breath a bit. He wished he could stop his heart from beating so loudly-it would surely give him away. He stopped just outside her door and heard her crying. No, crying was an understatement. She was in hysterical tears. _Did- did I really cause her this much pain? _He felt so terrible, he'd really hurt her. Well, he had to end this sooner or later.

Without the faintest idea of what he was going to do, Jeremy walked into the small, broken room. Aelita heard his footsteps and looked up quickly. She stared up at him for a moment, then looked down at the floor fast as lightning. She had meant it to show her shame, but Jeremy mistook it for hatred. He sighed and sat next to her.

His voice was shaky as he spoke; "Um, h-hey, A-Aelita. A-A-Are yuo okay-y?". _Ugh, I sound like I'm choking_, he thought.

"Yeah. I...I think." She spoke, sobbing a bit in-between words.

"I'm sorry. You must really hate me. I was a jerk, and I should've cared a little more. Can you forgive me?"

He was apologising? Aelita was in shock. She had absolutely no idea of what to say. She decided, stupidly, to keep her mouth shut.

"I see. You don't have to forgive me. I understand," He said glumly, assuming that's what she wanted. He got up to leave, but she shouted;

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"I should be apologising. I know I hurt you one way or another, so you shouldn't feel bad about it!"

"But you tried to apologise before, but I was arrogant and," he struggled on this word, "Jealous."

"Then, we're at fault, I guess."_ Especially me_, she added without speaking.

"In some ways, yeah. But, let's stop tearing ourselves apart here. Friends?"

She didn't reply, but threw her arms around him, and that was all he really needed.

"And, we still have to figure out who broke into the factory!" He added, at the worst possible time.

Aelita's eyes bulged, and she realized she was still in a lot of trouble.


	13. Premonitions and Isolation

Me: Haven't updated in forever, I'm sorry T-T

Aelita: Yeah, how long were you planning on leaving me there? HM?

Jeremy: And me?

Me: Wait…when did you gust get here?

Aelita: We've ALWAYS been here.

Me: Gotta lay off the Pixie Stix…0.o Er…ENJOY!

* * *

"Y-yeah." Aelita stuttered. The look on his face was puzzled; her bulging eyes were obviously a mistake.

"It's getting kind of late, maybe we should go back to campus, and start tomorrow." Jeremy said, looking out the window.

"Okay. Good idea." Her voice shook a little. Jeremy then grabbed her by the hand and led her out. Aelita quickly thought of why he thought she couldn't walk on her own, then quickly banished the thought as they climbed down the stairs. After they left the Hermitage, he released her hand and let her walk freely. They arrived at the campus in a few minutes.

"Goodnight, Aelita." He said politely.

"'Night!" She said, wanting to be alone.

She then changed into pajamas, and got into bed. Not like she was going to get any sleep at all in her state of mind. But, she eventually slept late that night (or early that morning). Her dream really disturbed her though;

_There she was, sitting in the corner of a room. Everything was white. Or, rather nothing was white. There was nothing but silence and solitude. Aelita felt isolated, crouched in a fetal position. She looked up; and saw her friends. Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Jeremy. They were all laughing and talking. But they were far away. Aelita wanted to call them, but she couldn't speak. Her lips did not part. She got up; her legs thankfully worked. She walked, then jogged, ran, and finally made a mad dash for her friends. As much as she ran, it was like she never moved. Her friends never got closer. Angry tears fell, and her chest squeezed. Suddenly she tripped. Her mouth uttered a scream finally. The gang looked at her as she fell. Then the white turned to black, and she was again completely isolated; but now falling._

She jumped up as her alarm clock screamed. Aelita had an urge to smash it to pieces (as if she was that strong), but instead she just ripped the plug right from the socket. The dream left her heart pounding and she was sweating a bit. She quickly took a shower, and felt better.

At breakfast that day, she saw her friends laughing and talking to each other; they hadn't yet noticed Aelita was there. She made a flashback to her dream, and then shook it off once she realized how ridiculous she was being. Once she got close enough, everyone looked up and smiled. Aelita smiled back, knowing her worries were worthless. She sat down, smiling.

"Hey, Aelita. Are you…okay?" Yumi asked, truly concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just…upset." She replied. That _had_ to be the understatement of the year.

"Good, because we need to focus on the break-in. That's what we've been talking about all morning." Ulrich stated.

"Oh, I see." _Oh, they're talking about my favorite subject I see_, is what she really meant.

"Yeah. It has us all freaked out." Odd added, before scarfing down a banana an 3 bites. Ulrich gave a slightly appalled look as he did this.

"So, I say we go today; after classes." Jeremy said cheerfully.

"Yeah, that sounds like a go-" Aelita began. She was cut off by none other than…Jim!

"Ah, there's our little class-skipper-er." He said, towering over her.

"Ah, what?" Aelita said, truly surprised.

"Math class. Yesterday. Ring a bell, Stones?"

"Oh…" Yeah, it clicked pretty fast. "Yeah, about that. I didn't feel well that day, so the nurse let me go to my room and…"

"Oh, save it. Yolanda-I mean the nurse-checked in on you in your room that day, and you were nowhere to be found. Can you explain _that,_ Stones?"

"Uhhh…no, sir." She admitted, defeated. She thought a few foul words about Jim following that.

"Okay then, since you are being so cooperative about it, I'll give you a break."

"Oh thanky-"

"And by break I mean _only_ _four hours_ of detention, rather than six." He smiled and walked away. Aelita silently added a few more un-pleasant words directed at him.

"Maybe not after school today. Sorry." Aelita said, a little embarrassed.

"It's okay. Why don't we get started, and after your detention you can come." Jeremy suggested.

"Uh…yeah. Good idea." She replied. There was no excitement in her voice; it was almost like a monotone.

Aelita knew that if they were going to find out what she'd done, she didn't want to be there. It was better to end their friendship on a high note.

She decided that the whole rest of the day, she'd be as nice as she possibly could to them.

* * *

I didn't notice how short I made this one...I'll get 14 up soon!

Aelita: You'd better....

Me: AARRGGHH!


	14. Result

The whole rest of the day, Aelita did nothing but be nice to her friends

The whole rest of the day, Aelita did nothing but be nice to her friends. She did this because she knew she only had so much time left with them. Although she promised herself she'd be happy and cheery, there was always that increasingly large shadow in the back of her mind that brought up thoughts of what she'd do when this was all over, and how they'd react when they found out her secret. She tried to keep her mind away from that shadow.

At last, the final bell rang, and everyone filed out of the stuffy science room. Mrs. Hertz didn't even try to remind them of the homework assignment she'd been in the middle of instructing-they'd find out soon enough. Aelita, Jeremy, Odd and Ulrich were the last to leave the room.

"Good luck with G.I. Jim, Princess." Odd said, thinking of how horrible 4 hours alone with Jim had to be.

"Thanks, Odd." She replied.

"We'll fill you in on everything when your detentions over, we promise. Just meet us in the factory when you're let out." Jeremy instructed.

"Got it. I…I'll see you there."

They parted ways, and Aelita waved goodbye. Everyone else saw this as 'Goodbye, see you in a bit', but Aelita meant it as 'Goodbye, It's been fin being your friend. Too bad it's gonna end'. She continued down the hall in the direction of the library, feeling like she was going to cry.

"Sorry, Stones, but don't do the time if you can't do the crime…or, rather is it…don't do the crime if you can't tell the time…ah, you know what I mean. Now sit! And don't touch that laptop, you hear?" Jim said the second she walked in the library.

"Got it." She said, her voice shaking. She took her seat, and got out some paper. She was one of the few people who had heard the homework assignment (Jeremy wasn't the most talkative lab partner, as I hope you can imagine). _Acceleration is speed divided by…no, speed is acceleration divided by…no, that's not right!_ She just couldn't seem to think straight. She gave up on her homework and decided to start doodling.

She ended up drawing Mister Puck (and it was pretty good considering it was all from memory). She drew him as she saw him in her dreams; real, and very much alive. She wasn't paying attention to what she was drawing. So, after she finally realized what she was doing, she was a bit shocked. It turned out as Mister Puck backed up againced a tree, surrounded by a pack of wolves. Things she used to dream about when she was a little girl.

She realized then that she feels now how she did over twenty-two years ago. That after her mother was kidnapped, she felt afraid, and had nightmares. She cried a lot, and life was never the same again. The only difference was that now, she didn't have Daddy to cry to. Pretty soon, she'd have no one but Mister Puck. It took every ounce of self-control in her body to stop herself from crying now. She jumped when Jim said;

"Alright, Stones, that's long enough. You can go now." Then he returned to his disturbing sumo comic and let her go.

She ran out of the room and immediately to the girl's bathroom. She stopped herself from crying and made it seem as if she had never shed a single tear. Finally, she started off towards the factory. She went the long way too, because this is one thing she really wanted to procrastinate on. But, the elevator (for once) seemed to go faster than ever. Finally, it stopped, and her heart beat frantically.

* * *

The doors opened, and there they all were, staring at the computer. No one looked up at her, as if she wasn't there. This time, she didn't feel stupid for remembering her dream.

There was only one thought running through her mind; _they found out. _Then that one little thought branched out into half a million. Things like: _they hate me now_ and _I'm dead _were among the hundred. One thing that kept her puzzled was that they said nothing to her. If they're going to yell at me, why not get it over with? The suspense of what was going to happen next was murderous. She'd rather them scream their lungs of at her than this.

After a small eternity, someone spoke:

"Hey, Aelita. How was detention?" Odd spoke. It would've been a perfectly normal question, but the look on his face and way he stated it made her feel like he wasn't being casual.

"Um…fine, thanks." She replied, trying to keep her voice level.

"Are you sure?" Ulrich said, "Are you sure you're not _lying_ to us?"

That one stung. Aelita knew at that very moment the trouble was just starting. She had an urge to run away and crawl under her covers, but she was a big girl, and had to deal with the consequences of her mistake.

"No. I'm not lying." She chanted with dignity she didn't know she had. Ulrich looked away and scowled.

"We found out who broke in." Jeremy said, " I think you know who did it." He was so solemn; the Jeremy she knew yesterday was completely gone.

"Yes. I do." Why lie more now? It was all over anyway.

"And you never though to tell us? We were scared to death that someone discovered our secret!" Yumi shouted. It wasn't a scream, but she was getting there.

"Well? What were your plans, Aelita? What were you planning to do?" Jeremy asked, and it was one of the scariest things she'd ever seen in her life.

The whole gang stared at her. There was no escape; she had to speak now. Hopefully her voice would let her.

"I…I don't know." A sob was forming in the pit of her chest. "I was planning…on taking whatever you were going to do to me and accept it."

"Why did you not tell us? Why did you bug up the system? Why did you _lie_?" Jeremy continued.

"I-I was afraid."

"Of?"

"Of what would happen to us! I-I didn't want you to hate me! I thought that if you knew I broke our promise you'd…you'd…" She didn't finish, because then she began sobbing.

"You thought we'd hate you for going to Lyoko?" Yumi asked. "Why? We would have understood!"

Aelita looked up from her sobs. Everyone else looked mad, but her face was now sympathetic.

"Y-you would have?"

"Well, yeah. You're going through a really rough time. And _some of us_ weren't really helping, so why wouldn't you want to go to Lyoko?" Odd joined in. He stared at Jeremy, implying that the 'some of us' was meant for him.

"So, you're not mad?"

"Yes, we are. But not for you turning on the supercomputer." Ulrich said, barely looking up.

"I…I know." Aelita sobbed one more time and headed for the elevator. Just as she was going to hit the button, a hand was placed on her shoulder, stopping her. She spun around to see Jeremy. His face was still solemn, but she wasn't afraid of it.

"Don't leave." He said.

"B-but I was so terrible to you…to _all_ of you!" She replied, confused.

"That doesn't mean we hate you." Ulrich said, finally smiling. Soon, everyone had a warm smile on their faces.

"R-really?"

"As long as you don't ever lie again…yeah." Odd said.

For the first time in a long while, Aelita smiled a genuine smile. She was, for once, happy, and at peace. She wasn't hated, or shunned. All the trouble was behind her now, and relief washed over her.

* * *

The next morning, right after breakfast, Aelita ran to the Hermitage. In her hands was a silver box. Her picture box. She went up the stairs to her room and looked at the wall above her fireplace. The poster of a tree was down, revealing a hole where Mister puck was supposed to be. She took the box, and placed it in the hole. She then covered it up with the poster and smiled.

Sometimes, a simple memory can uncover secrets that you shouldn't tell. Aelita then realized that remembering your past is important; you just can't live in the past.

**It's over!! My very first fanfic!!!! **

**I had a lot of fun torturing Aelita (it's mean...but real fun, I'm telling you!). Sorry if the ending got a bit corny there...but I had to write it. I had to. **

**Anyway, thanks to all the people who R&R'd!! It's because of you I kept writing! Go on, feel special! ^-^**

**I know this one had it's mistakes...but promise the rest will be better!!**

**Thanks again!! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**-PurpleDragonFire**

**P.S. I dunno if I put this...but I don't own Code Lyoko. Just avoiding copyright bleh.**


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